The use of a liquid containing small, generally spherical beads therein has been found practical to minimize the effects of friction between an outer, elongated support and an inner member moveable along the support. A beaded liquid is especially useful in cases where cables or pipes are to be moved over long distances through conduits above ground, through underground conduits, or through a passage extending below a body of water. Such a beaded liquid is disclosed in a pending U.S. patent application entitled "Beaded Liquid Product and Method for Reducing Coefficient of Friction", Ser. No. 918,899, filed June 26, 1978 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,981. In such disclosure, a beaded liquid product is described in which a plurality of beads are mixed in a flowable liquid and the mixture is directed into an outer support or through a tubular conduit before an inner member is moved along the support. When the inner member moves along the support in contact with the beaded liquid, the beads in the liquid provide a planar work field between the support and the inner member to minimize the frictional effects and thereby allow the inner member to be pulled or pushed along the support with less effort.
A number of other advantages accrue from the use of such a beaded liquid. For instance, in addition to the lower pulling or pushing forces, less tension or compression is exerted on the inner member to enable it and its outer bearing surface to be much lighter, less durable, and with properties more suitable for the intended operating use rather than for meeting installation requirements. There is less wear and less tension and compression forces on the outer surface of the inner member so it can be moved over longer distances with a thinner cover without appreciable damage to it.
While the method as set forth in the foregoing application is satisfactory in many respects, it has been found that there may be situations in which beads are insufficiently distributed in the liquid to sufficiently reduce the frictional effects between the support and the inner member. For this reason, a need has arisen for improvements in the dispensing of beads in a liquid in a support of the type described so that there will be sufficient distribution of beads throughout the length of the support to provide for the necessary reduction in friction so that the foregoing advantages will be realized.